a person or thing that protects; defender; guardian.
English History.
a person in charge of the kingdom during the sovereign's minority, incapacity, or absence.
Also called Lord Protector. (initial capital letter) the title of the head of the government during the period of the Protectorate, held by Oliver Cromwell (1653–58) and by Richard Cromwell, his son (1658–59).
a person or thing that protects
history a person who exercised royal authority during the minority, absence, or incapacity of the monarch
1325–75; < Late Latin ( see protect, -tor); replacing Middle English protectour < Middle French
A protector is someone who takes care of you. In most families, part of the parents' job is to be their children's protectors. A museum guard is a protector of valuable artworks, and a Great Pyrenees dog might work as the protector of a flock of sheep, barking at predators. You can tell from the word protector that it's all about protecting, or keeping safe from harm. In Latin, protect means "covered in front," from the verb protegere and its roots pro-, "in front" and tegere, "to cover."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“It was led by somebody that I had grown to trust and see as a protector and somebody who had my back,” she told podcast host Jay Shetty of the incident.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 26, 2026
“Arise, O protector of the homeland!” the crowd responded.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 22, 2026
"Our findings significantly shift tubulin's role in neurodegeneration, from a passive casualty of disease to an active protector against toxic protein aggregation," Ferreon said.
From Science Daily • Jun. 21, 2026
But European nations are already looking at ways to "derisk" away from what they see as a now unpredictable, unreliable protector.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
Maybe he could choose to be all-person: Archer, hunter, protector, artichoke-trimmer, gambler, ship’s boy, quartz-holder, friend.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
